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According to science, drinking coffee before you nap can sharpen your mind. Try it! Credit: Canva
The majority of us depend on coffee to help us wake up from a nap. Science suggests that this is not the case. Researchers found in a clever study published in Journal of Psychophysiology that drinking coffee before taking a nap could actually have benefits. The “coffee naps” is one of the ways to improve alertness. It works.
What the Research Found
Participants in the study who consumed coffee just before napping for 15 minutes, and slept during that time, performed significantly better than those who did not drink coffee at all or slept. They were faster, sharper and made some mistakes. The secret lies in the way caffeine interacts in the brain with a chemical called adenosine, This builds up throughout the day, causing a tired feeling. So when caffeine is introduced into the system, it blocks adenosine, and that takes around 20 minutes to kick in– exactly around the time you would be waking up from a power nap.
This means the nap clears a relatively good amount of adenosine naturally—- just in time for caffeine to block what is left. What is the result? The result? Your mind becomes more clear, focused and less foggy.
How can you try it today?
Three simple steps are required: First, drink a cup of coffee. (A double espresso or 200ml is sufficient). Step 2: Lay down and take a 15- to 20-minute nap (better be safe than sorry). Step 3: Enjoy the energy boost as soon as caffeine starts to kick in (set an alarm).
Bonus tip: Don’t sleep more than 20 minutes. Otherwise, you could fall deeper into sleep and be groggy when you wake up. With the help of this hack, you can take a nap and drink coffee in the afternoon. This is an innovative way to sleep.
